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Timmy.

    â€œAny chance we can get in on this?” said Deuce.
    â€œYeah, mos def,” said Timmy, looking around the field. “We already chose up sides, but we could definitely use another outfielder. That would save us a lot of time chasing the ball. And we could probably use a shortstop, too, now that you mention it.”
    â€œI can play in the outfield,” I said.
    â€œYeah, big man,” said Timmy. “I know you can.”
    We fist-bumped. Timmy was a good guy. To tell the truth, Deuce’s whole family was pretty solid.
    â€œCan’t have all three of you on the same team, though,” said Timmy.
    â€œS’all right,” said Deuce. “We only have two gloves.”
    We wound up playing the last five innings. It was a pretty fun game. I know it was good because I had twice as many grass stains on my shorts at the end as when I’d started. That and no one slid into that metal pole at third base.
    I was a little beat after that. I mean, I’d spent all morning pushing a lawn mower around in the sun and then played most of a baseball game. But it was Saturday, I was with my best friends, and the sun was still up. There was no way I was going to go home just yet.
    â€œWhat next, guys?” I said. Lake Wales wasn’t a big town, so it’s not like we had tons of options. But that didn’t matter because, for me and my friends, the answer was always going to be sports.
    â€œCould head over to the court,” said Mike as he slipped on the backpack. His team had lost, so he had to carry it for the rest of the day.
    â€œYou got a ball in that thing?” I said to Deuce, since it was his pack.
    â€œDon’t leave home without it!” he said.
    We were all up for it. I hadn’t gotten to play at all the day before, and they’d only played one short game against those older kids. And from the looks of them afterward, that had been more like Ultimate Fighting than hoops.
    We took our time walking over, just sort of enjoying having the day to ourselves. When we reached the court, they were still busting on me for a fly ball I missed in the outfield. The sun got in my eyes — at least that’s what I told them! But when I looked over at the court, I thought I really was having trouble seeing.
    â€œAww, man,” said Deuce.
    â€œWhat are they doing here?” said Mike.
    It was the hacks again. We’d never seen them before yesterday, but there they were for the second straight day, strutting around our local court like they owned it. One of them was scraping the bottom of his sneaker against the wire fence, and another one had just finished off a tall can of iced tea and tossed it at him. They were all shouting and laughing about something.
    â€œWhat do you think?” said Deuce. “Up for a rematch?”
    â€œI don’t know, maybe,” said Mike. “I’m still pretty banged up from yesterday, but at least we’re at full strength now.”
    He looked over at me.
    â€œUp to you,” I said. I wasn’t really at “full strength” after those hours of mowing and innings of baseball. But if my friends wanted a second shot at these guys, I wasn’t going to say no.
    Mike and Deuce looked at each other. Deuce shrugged. “They probably won’t even play the three of us,” he said. “They wouldn’t yesterday. And I don’t see Roger anywhere.”
    We looked up at the court, and the biggest guy was hanging on the rim after dunking the ball. They were so into themselves that they hadn’t noticed us yet.
    â€œYeah,” said Mike. “Probably not. What do you think, Amar’e?”
    â€œLike I said, man, it’s up to you guys,” I said. “You’re the ones who had to put up with their cheap shots. But you know I like to play for fun, and playing these guys today? It just doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
    â€œYeah,” said Mike,